Posted on 07/08/2014 8:30:04 AM PDT by No One Special
Edited on 07/08/2014 8:44:50 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Back in the days when Vladimir Putin was first launching his crackdown on Russian mainstream media, killing and arresting reporters and publishers and seizing or shutting down publications, the Russia apologists rationalized his actions by claiming that the Russian Internet was free and always would be, and would counter any state propaganda. It’s now clear that these statements were made simply ruse to induce the defenders of free speech to drop their guard and allow Putin to take over mainstream media unchallenged. It worked like a charm. And now we can clearly see how utterly false these statements were as Putin systematically exterminates the Runet.
Technology expert Andrei Soldatov says that Putin doesn’t even have to implement the new legal measures, merely passing them into law will deliver a devastating chilling effect throughout the Runet: “The people working for these companies become frightened of what could happen and start being cautious, they start voluntarily cooperating with the authorities.”
Such collaboration with evil is a consistent theme throughout Russian history. During the time of Stalin, Russians could be relied upon to turn in their neighbors in hopes of winning the favor of the totalitarian regime for themselves, and not once during his decades in power did Stalin ever face a significant public backlash even as he murdered millions in his gulags.
Indeed, Putin’s Goebbels, Dmitri Kiselev of state TV, openly (and proudly) admits that Putin is the new Stalin. Putin has certainly adopted Stalin’s messianic outlook, recently declaring that he feels he has the right to intervene anywhere in the world on behalf of “those people who consider themselves part of the broad Russian community. They may not necessarily be ethnic Russians, but they consider themselves Russian people.” And he is even pushing forward a host of regulations to restrict artistic speech, exactly the same as Stalin embraced.
Conventional journalism capitulated to Putin long ago. But the Internet was supposed to be impervious to such attacks. That’s what we were consistently told as Putin placed broadcast television and newspapers in a neo-Soviet chokehold. In fact, it was all nonsense. Putin has easily moved to crush Internet expression and has seen little if any opposition. The main defender of Internet freedom, Alexei Navalny, has been prosecuted and is currently languishing under house arrest, banned from expressing himself the Internet in any way.
Oh, dear. Someone presently will be by to tell us the Kremlin side of the story.
I’m still writing him in for POTUS if it’s Hillary or Lizzie vs. NJFatboy.
Well then, enjoy the last vote you ever make.
"Putin is a good Christian who only has his country's best interests in mind!"
shhhhh. Don’t tell the Putinistas they will be al too upset at the truth
The worst FReepers are the ones who know so little about conservatism and history that they’re dumb enough to see Putin as a hero, or they think that you cannot be against Putin without favoring Obama.
Oh, dear. Someone presently will be by to tell us the Kremlin side of the story.
Sure, write in the name of another tyrant. That makes sense.
Hey, at least if Putin wins here, the people voting for him can take credit for throwing Jim Robinson into prison.
It is standard FR courtesy to ping FReepers you mention by name.
Apart from the fact that my comment was not directed at Jim, you’d have a point, otherwise.
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